Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what funds have been made available to the Sheffield City Region as part of their devolution deal; and how much has been transferred to the Sheffield City Region to date.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
Our devolution deal with Sheffield City Region agreed a range of powers and responsibilities to be devolved to the mayoral combined authority, including substantial investment funding which will provide the region with £30 million per year for a 30 year period, devolution of the adult education budget, and a multi-year transport budget.
£61.5 million of devolution deal related transport funding has been transferred to Sheffield City Region to date. However, the City Region are yet to take the necessary statutory steps to launch their consultation on the powers needed to empower the Mayor and put the full devolution deal into effect – and until this is done, the region will not receive their investment funding. We have however provided Sheffield City Region with Mayoral Capacity Funding (£1 million per year for 18/19 and 19/20) to support it as a newly established strategic economic institution.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria local authorities will have to meet before they can be granted financial flexibilities for the retrofitting of sprinklers in tower blocks.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
If a local authority building owner considers any of their buildings to be unsafe, they will need to determine what measures are essential to make each building fire safe. This will need to be done as part of a whole fire safety strategy for each individual building, taking into account expert advice, any directions or advice from the local fire and rescue service, and other fire safety measures present.
Local authorities should draw on existing resources to implement these measures. However, we will consider the removal of financial restrictions for local authorities where these stand in the way of essential work being done. This would not include general improvements or enhancements to buildings which go beyond works needed to make a building safe.
Where there is a case for financial assistance, we will consider either extending the ability to borrow within the Housing Revenue Account, or possibly a one-off agreement to use general fund money. Any local authority who wishes to discuss their position should contact MHCLG.
In addition to the offer of financial flexibilities for essential fire safety work, Government will fully fund the removal and replacement of dangerous Aluminium Composite Material cladding systems that have failed large scale tests on residential buildings over 18m owned by councils and housing associations, with costs estimated at £400 million.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the financial flexibilities that will be granted to local authorities that wish to retrofit sprinklers in tower blocks.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
If a local authority building owner considers any of their buildings to be unsafe, they will need to determine what measures are essential to make each building fire safe. This will need to be done as part of a whole fire safety strategy for each individual building, taking into account expert advice, any directions or advice from the local fire and rescue service, and other fire safety measures present.
Local authorities should draw on existing resources to implement these measures. However, we will consider the removal of financial restrictions for local authorities where these stand in the way of essential work being done. This would not include general improvements or enhancements to buildings which go beyond works needed to make a building safe.
Where there is a case for financial assistance, we will consider either extending the ability to borrow within the Housing Revenue Account, or possibly a one-off agreement to use general fund money. Any local authority who wishes to discuss their position should contact MHCLG.
In addition to the offer of financial flexibilities for essential fire safety work, Government will fully fund the removal and replacement of dangerous Aluminium Composite Material cladding systems that have failed large scale tests on residential buildings over 18m owned by councils and housing associations, with costs estimated at £400 million.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which of the funds due be devolved as part of the devolution agreement with South Yorkshire to the Sheffield City Region Mayor will be withheld if full consultation has not been carried out by the four local authorities by the time of the mayoral election later this year.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The Government remains clear that the people of South Yorkshire can benefit significantly from devolution. The consolidated transport budget of £20.6 million per annum to 2020/21 has been given to the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority since 2017/18, giving the area greater flexibility over how to fund highway maintenance and other strategic transport improvements, and the Bus Services Act 2017 makes provision in relation to bus franchising for mayoral combined authorities. No further budgets or powers will be devolved unless and until all of the statutory requirements are satisfied, including the area undertaking the necessary consultation.
As I told the House on 31 October 2017 in response to a question from the noble Lord [in Written Answer HL2234], if the leaders of the Sheffield City Region do not at some stage undertake the consultation they will have chosen to walk away from the deal. This would deny the people of the City Region some £1 billion investment from Government and the opportunity for the area to have new powers on transport, development, and skills.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which of the funds due to be devolved as part of the devolution agreement with South Yorkshire to the Sheffield City Region Mayor will still be devolved if full consultation has not been carried out by the four local authorities by the time of the mayoral election later this year.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The Government remains clear that the people of South Yorkshire can benefit significantly from devolution. The consolidated transport budget of £20.6 million per annum to 2020/21 has been given to the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority since 2017/18, giving the area greater flexibility over how to fund highway maintenance and other strategic transport improvements, and the Bus Services Act 2017 makes provision in relation to bus franchising for mayoral combined authorities. No further budgets or powers will be devolved unless and until all of the statutory requirements are satisfied, including the area undertaking the necessary consultation.
As I told the House on 31 October 2017 in response to a question from the noble Lord [in Written Answer HL2234], if the leaders of the Sheffield City Region do not at some stage undertake the consultation they will have chosen to walk away from the deal. This would deny the people of the City Region some £1 billion investment from Government and the opportunity for the area to have new powers on transport, development, and skills.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which of the powers due be devolved as part of the devolution agreement with South Yorkshire to the Sheffield City Region Mayor will be withheld if full consultation has not been carried out by the four local authorities by the time of the mayoral election later this year.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The Government remains clear that the people of South Yorkshire can benefit significantly from devolution. The consolidated transport budget of £20.6 million per annum to 2020/21 has been given to the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority since 2017/18, giving the area greater flexibility over how to fund highway maintenance and other strategic transport improvements, and the Bus Services Act 2017 makes provision in relation to bus franchising for mayoral combined authorities. No further budgets or powers will be devolved unless and until all of the statutory requirements are satisfied, including the area undertaking the necessary consultation.
As I told the House on 31 October 2017 in response to a question from the noble Lord [in Written Answer HL2234], if the leaders of the Sheffield City Region do not at some stage undertake the consultation they will have chosen to walk away from the deal. This would deny the people of the City Region some £1 billion investment from Government and the opportunity for the area to have new powers on transport, development, and skills.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which of the powers due to be devolved as part of the devolution agreement with South Yorkshire to the Sheffield City Region Mayor will still be devolved if full consultation has not been carried out by the four local authorities by the time of the mayoral election later this year.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The Government remains clear that the people of South Yorkshire can benefit significantly from devolution. The consolidated transport budget of £20.6 million per annum to 2020/21 has been given to the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority since 2017/18, giving the area greater flexibility over how to fund highway maintenance and other strategic transport improvements, and the Bus Services Act 2017 makes provision in relation to bus franchising for mayoral combined authorities. No further budgets or powers will be devolved unless and until all of the statutory requirements are satisfied, including the area undertaking the necessary consultation.
As I told the House on 31 October 2017 in response to a question from the noble Lord [in Written Answer HL2234], if the leaders of the Sheffield City Region do not at some stage undertake the consultation they will have chosen to walk away from the deal. This would deny the people of the City Region some £1 billion investment from Government and the opportunity for the area to have new powers on transport, development, and skills.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, if the proposed consultation on the Sheffield City Region deal does not proceed, what alternative steps they will take to proceed with the devolution agreement.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
If the leaders of the Sheffield City Region do not at some stage undertake the consultation, they will have chosen to walk away from the deal denying the people of the City Region some £1 billion investment from Government and the opportunity for the area to have new powers on transport, development, and skills. But as the Government has made clear, we remain committed to the deal and the mayoral election on 3 May 2018 for which Parliament has legislated. Even without devolved powers and budgets the election of such a mayor is not without benefits for the City Region, since the elected mayor would be a significant figure who would both be chair of the combined authority and could take their place as the voice of the city region alongside the other city region mayors in the Northern Powerhouse and in other forums with Government or stakeholders.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the merits of (1) establishing a Yorkshire-wide devolution settlement, and (2) members of the Sheffield City Region devolution deal joining that settlement at a later date.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The Government is committed to implementing and has legislated for the Sheffield City Region devolution deal. The Government has not received any proposal for a Yorkshire wide deal and any assessment of the merits of such a deal would have to take account of this pre-existing legislative commitment. The Sheffield City Region having implemented its devolution deal is not precluded in future from joining a wider Yorkshire devolution deal, were this to be agreed with Government and all the authorities involved.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
Her Majesty's Government whether they support (1) a Yorkshire-wide devolution deal, and (2) West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire devolution deals.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The Government agreed a devolution deal with Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and Sheffield in 2015, and to which the four councils reaffirmed their commitment in 2016 and 2017 when consenting to Parliamentary Orders establishing the mayoral election for May 2018. It is now for the councils to take the remaining steps - to hold a public consultation on the proposed devolution of powers and consent to the order needed, subject to Parliamentary approval, for the full implementation of the deal.
No further proposals have been put forward to the Government.